By Daphne Rasahei, Hope Imaka & Rositta Liosi
Founded in 1986, the CPL Group started as a pharmacy chain and has since acquired the Stop & Shop supermarket (2005) and the Hardware Haus (2009) chains. To date, CPL is one of PNG’s leading brands in the country and continues to make great strides.
Expansion & Employment
Recently, CPL initiated a three-day recruitment drive for the opening of its newly acquired supermarkets in three locations across the nation’s capital. In light of the recent recruitment drive we had a chance to interview (online) the company’s Marketing Manager, Prue Go.
Last year, CPL experimented with a mass recruitment drive for the 15th Pacific Games. They hired more than 400 employees at that time, offering permanent employment for those that showed ‘proactivity’ and ‘willingness’ to grow in the company.
Go stresses the importance of three main values that she finds striking in any person hoping to work in this industry; these values are determination, commitment, and passion. Possessing these qualities, according to Go guarantees survival in retail.
“We have realised that there are many talented people all over the country. With the right amount of training, we see them as future leaders in our company…We can train a person who’s not familiar with the retail industry but if that person does not have the passion to his work, then he will not survive in retail.”
CPL is always investing in bettering its workforce by providing training for its staff. At the end of the day, quality service for their customers is essential. Last year, more than 500 people in the company benefited from the IGA affiliated training module the company acquired three years ago. Female staff acquired training under the CPL “Women in Leadership” program, which aims to better equip them for bigger responsibilities within the company.
CPL Looking Forward
As CPL grows and expands introducing their new retail businesses into the market, they are in a constant search for talented people to be a part of the company and “grow with us as we grow”.
CPL plans to open Stop & Shop Koki in two months’ time, which is then to be followed by Harbour City, and the re-opening of Waigani Central. With that comes the need to hire more than 1,000 staff and managers for these store as well as the existing businesses:
- City Pharmacy
- Hardware Haus
- Bon Café
- Prouds Duty Free
- Paradise Cinema
- Jack’s of PNG
“CPL management is confident about PNG and has faith in the country and its people…CPL embarked on a transformation plan in 2015 to solidify our business foundations and processes and this will pay dividends in the coming years. Our management team and team members are set in place to launch the next phase of growth in PNG.”
Related Atricles:
CPL Gives Hope to the Unemployed
